Now is the time to stand up for refugees

Today, thousands of ordinary people came out to show refugees they are loved and wanted in this country.

In Liverpool, where last week riots were seen outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, eight hundred people gathered to show their support for people who seek refuge in the UK.

And in South Yorkshire, at a demonstration at another asylum seeker hotel, an estimated 400-500 counter protestors outnumbered the far right by five to one. This meant so much to the resident asylum seekers, who held up signs saying “Love Sees No Colour”, “We Love You” and simply “Thank You”.

In Liverpool our founder Clare Moseley read out a message she had received from a Syrian refugee housed in the Knowsley hotel assailed last week. The crowd listened in hushed quiet, breaking out in loud, long applause at the end.

“Your presence on the night of the demonstration had a great impact on us and touched our hearts with warmth between all nationalities,” she read.

“This is the highest meaning of humanity. I said to the Syrian friends who are here, these are the English people who stood with us with all their humanity and the few thugs who represent an almost insignificant minority do not measure up to representing the English people.

I asked my Syrian friends to respect the laws of the host country and the people who love peace, tolerance and brotherhood, and your organization was an example that, the highest form of true humanity.”

“True humanity” is what we have seen today: the humanity of understanding, care and compassion, and not the inhumanity of hate, prejudice and division. It has lifted our hearts, and proved once again that hate cannot be fought with hate; it can only be fought by love, and that’s what we will continue to do.

In the last few days we have gathered hundreds of messages of support for refugees from the public, and we have had these translated into five languages, printed on A3 posters and delivered to the hotels that have been subject to demonstrations. We will carry on spreading these messages of love where we can.

More anti refugee demos are being planned – in Skegness, Cornwall, Dover and other places. Please follow our social media for updates on forthcoming counter demonstrations.

Now is the time to stand up for refugees. If not us then who? If not now then when?